Mint and rain
by Gabrielmanga
Summary: AU sequel to the event of unmasked, there is finally something in you and in me.


**Here is a gift one-shot for PoisenFlower! Since she is going through a lot right now, I wanted to please her the best way I could and write something for her! It's fluffy and light just like you love!**

**Hope you enjoy it!**

**Keep your head up and be strong!**

**EDIT: the story has now been beta-readed by xXseihana-chanXx , give her a big thank you for her hard work! **

It tasted like mint and rain.

It definitely tasted like mint and rain.

I remember warm summer days where I would eat a fresh mint and chocolate ice cream while my brother was shopping. It was usually his way to tell me he wouldn't take long to find what he needed. Not too long after I took the last bite, I clearly remember the sky getting cloudy and the rain touching my nose in small droplets, barely felt by my skin as I walked outside in the park. My brother used to tell me the sky was crying when it was rainy, but I never got the answer as to why the sky was sad, nor did I ever understand why the rain didn't taste salty if it was tears.

The taste of the rain was almost barely noticeable, but it tasted fresh, soothing, and calming.

My current meal, which I couldn't really tell what exactly it was, was reminding me way too much of the past.

It tasted like mint and rain.

The silver fork I was holding just left my mouth as I slowly chewed. I usually tried as hard as possible not to think of the past, but sometimes it was easier said than done. There were just some factors making things more complicated than they already were.

Lately, I have to admit that things seemed to take a comfortable turn nonetheless. When Ulquiorra came the other day, he actually had fallen asleep on my couch. I didn't even know before then that Arrancars could actually sleep, so I was agreeably surprised at finding that out. It just made my "staying" in Las Noches a little better. I could actually forget for a moment the mortifying truths and think about more banal and careless things. It felt a little more like a room rather than a prison. It was pleasant to hold to those memories and habits that made a room into a home. I don't even remember the last time I felt this comfortable somewhere. We were so used to battles that a place to call home seems so superfluous, yet we cling to it like the reasons itself, for our fights would be a part of these feelings of fitting somewhere. There were so few things that made me smile lately, so I didn't want them to disappear.

Even if it consisted of seeing Ulquiorra asleep again on the couch as I lifted my eyes from the plate and onto the couch. The smile I had was one that could be compared to seeing a child that did something bad, yet it was too cute to scold him.

It didn't take long for me to abandon the different utensils that were on the table to slowly walk toward his sleeping form. My steps were slow and careful, my toes landing on the carpeted floor first, before the ankles lowered to apply the whole weight of the foot. I realised last time that Ulquiorra was a very light sleeper, so I better not make my presence known this time. Though I couldn't clearly tell if his Pesquisas could still work even asleep, considering he is the Cuatro Espada, it wouldn't really be that surprising, to be honest.

I held my breath as I approached him; I always wondered why exactly he fell asleep now and back then. Was he tired? Harmed? Depressed? Could he even be any of those? He was a walking mass of questions, and very few were answered with each day that passed. I wanted to learn more. It was simply nagging at me like no tomorrow. It was the feeling of wanting to know something so desperately without having any reasons or motives to do so. Like why the sky is blue, or the grass green. They were simply questions asking to be answered.

When my body was standing just aside the couch, I lowered myself on my knees with extreme carefulness, being cautious so that my clothes didn't cause too much friction and thus, too much noise. The floor was relatively comfortable with the presence of the carpet. This made it easier for me to just sit on my knees there, watching who I thought was a deadly enemy some days ago sleeping soundlessly on my couch.

I couldn't help but wonder how things could have changed so much. Things went from "I shall force food down your throat if you do not eat" to this.

This was a strange pleasant atmosphere that made us both relax and feel comfortable, forgetting all the problems, all the worries, and the current situation to drown in an ocean of slight peace that could even make the Arrancar before me slip off into dreams.

Speaking of which, I wonder if he even can dream...

Thinking about that, I could only look at his face in slight admiration. I had so few occasions to actually look at his face without having anything else to think about. Right now it was simply him, me, and a soothing silence that was broken only by the slight breaths he took every once in a while. His breathing wasn't hard, forced, or loud. It was a calm and steady breathing that almost sounded like a repetitive lullaby.

His features were quite unique, needless to say. His complexion was comparable to the color of marble, white with such a slight hint of beige that it was barely noticeable, though with the moonlight, it made it seems like it was glowing with a pure slightly blue light. I never remembered any Arrancar with a skin tone such as he has and even thought it was difficult for me to admit it, his skin perfectly suited him; he looked like a flawless doll. Never meaning to be harmed or used in battles. I had the feeling he didn't belong in a battlefield just as much as I, though deep down, I knew he was a proud, strong and worthy opponent to anyone who stood in his way.

Ahaha! Me, thinking that right now! He would probably reply to 'never judge a book by its cover'.

My eyes slowly moved toward his eyelids, thick and long, those are probably what gave him a very elegant and…

No I can't think that.

Well a very elegant appearance, let's just stick to that.

They made a perfect slight curve over his cheeks, giving him a feminine look that suited him very well.

My arms now rested on the border of the couch, barely applying pressure so that Ulquiorra couldn't feel the change in level. It's almost laughable at this point that he hasn't awoken yet. Last time I simply leaned over his frame while standing beside him, and it was enough to wake him up. He either must have really been tired or he was really into whatever dream he was having.

But I wouldn't really complain, considering I could now have a proper look at his face.

His raven hair was slightly dishevelled and clinging to his helmet a little more than usual. I always wondered how exactly he could sleep with such a thing on his head. If I were him I would take it out to sleep, though I wonder if he actually can. Is he like Kurosaki-kun, who can make it dissolve when he want?

Saying his name now seems to fill me with a strange sense of wrong-doings. I'm not doing anything wrong by looking at his face without a murderous intent, am I? I just can't bring myself to think he means me harm, especially looking at him sleeping so peacefully, looking absolutely defenseless.

When I think about it, I could kill him right now, or at least severely injure him. Yet, he fell asleep in my presence, completely lowering his guard and leaving himself out in the open.

Does this means he somewhat trusts me?

I could only help but sigh silently through my nose as my head rested on my arms, crossed on the arm of the sofa. I wish I had answers to the myriad questions floating through my head. Especially when I just didn't know anymore what I should do about those feelings inside that kept nagging at me.

Nagging at me to actually consider this my new home.

Or nagging at me to keep hoping to be saved.

When looking at Ulquiorra's face, there are even some of those feelings that made a strange butterfly fluttering in my stomach. Making my eyes halt on his closed ones while my hand absent-mindedly stroked away a strand of his hair that crossed with his tear marks. It took me a few seconds to realise I just touched him and he could awaken at any moment, so I simply shut my eyes tightly, awaiting for the inevitable cero that will reduce me into a pile of ashes.

Yet it never came. The only thing I could hear was the slight steady lullaby of his breathing breaking the usual silence. I was washed over with relief, and yet my finger still tingled from the touch. Awaiting something I wasn't ready to do again.

It was when I looked at those tear marks that the tingling sensation in my fingers reached the point where I simply couldn't hold back anymore, and just had to caress the surface of his skin again.

It was smooth and strangely, I expected it to be cold, yet it was of a surprising warmth. Comparable to a faint and distant warmth, like a winter sun, faintly warm when it brushes your skin. I expected him to jerk up immediately at the touch, but as my hand slowly cupped his right cheek, the only sound that emanated from his throat was a whispered groan, apparently simply relaxing even more by the contact. I couldn't help but smile as my finger slowly brushed his skin, following the marks. I always wondered why exactly he had such strange patterns on his face.

The thought made me think about his eyes for some reasons. They were the most colourful aspect of his being. The saying says it's the window to the soul, and yet with Ulquiorra, it's far much more complex than that. In a way it tells all and nothing at the same time. It answers so many questions yet gives you a thousand more in return. I remember when I first saw them in that park; they held such depth that I had a hard time thinking logically before Kurosaki-kun arrived. They seemed so alive yet so empty.

When I got out of my reverie I could see his eyes looked quite confused yet calm right now.

Wait-

What?

Oh no…

When I realised that his eyes were actually looking at me back, I couldn't help but let out a light gasp of surprise, but I completely forgot to withdraw my hand…

"Is there some answers you need to find in the tear marks I have on my face, woman?" His voice was still slightly filled with sleep; I thought that it unlike most people, his voice wouldn't change on awakening. His face didn't move, his body didn't move, nor did anything move, not even me.

I simply stood there on my knees with quite a shocked face as my caretaker simply blinked at me, apparently waiting for an answer to his question, from which I only asked the first thing that came to mind.

"I was just wondering why you had such marks on your face." A nervous chuckle followed afterward as my hand slowly withdrew from his face, while he looked at the hand in slight disapproval, though at what, I wasn't quite sure.

"They are a reminder." His voice was surprisingly calm as he replied. Last time he immediately got back up and away from me.

"A reminder?"

He nodded once before replying, "A reminder of how happiness is having nothing to lose."

I couldn't resist the urge to know more when he was willing to offer it. It was funny how he still didn't get back up and was still lying down on the couch.

"What do you mean?"

"A reminder that I lost things which I wouldn't have in the future. If I didn't have them, it would permit me to not repeat the same error twice."

So apparently he lost things precious to him and suffered from it…

It could only strengthen the tingling sensation in my stomach and the overall feeling that I couldn't possibly feel threatened by such a perso- an Arrancar.

"I was also wondering if you could actually dream, Ulquiorra."

He remained silent for a while, apparently thinking about my question before his eyes looked at me with a sort of strange glow I've never seen before, and it seemed confused, even uneasy.

"I was having one, actually."

"And what happened in it?" My hands were holding his face now, interested in what he had to say, and he apparently knew I wouldn't let go until he told me, so he began to speak.

"My body was dissolving into the wind, into small particles resembling ashes. I was on the dome of Las Noches and I could see that Kurosaki Ichigo was there, and a certain man I have never seen before that had dark hair and glasses." His voice held a certain uneasiness as he spoke, though his usual deep voice kept its trademark emotionless tone.

"But out of the whole scene, you were actually the one that had most of my attention. You were standing there, looking pained. I reached out, and when I could finally reach you, I did something unexpected and illogical."

I didn't even realise my head moved closer to his as he spoke. The scenery he imagined seemed so sad. I wonder what he did when he reached me?

"What did you do?"

The only moment I knew the answer was when I heard a faint "This" as his lips softly applied themselves to my own, one of his hands resting on my cheek as I just stood there, completely shocked.

There were so many things I didn't expect to see here, but that probably won first place.

The shock took a while to wear off, and it wasn't before his head slowly turned to the side to allow a deeper kiss that I actually responded, one of my hands slowly intertwining with his black locks of hair.

We stayed a few minutes like this before Ulquiorra drew back with a confused yet satisfied look. He murmured as the hand on my cheek left.

"What does it mean?"

I didn't really knew if he was talking about the kiss in itself, the dream, or the situation we were now in, but I could only think about an answer to all of them.

"That there is something now in you and I."

His eyes seem to widen slightly before the hold on my face was felt again and his lips followed soon afterward.

I couldn't help but smile against his lips as I realised one thing…

He tasted like mint and rain.


End file.
